Loft Dynamic
by SilentBobina
Summary: Starts between "Cooler" and "Parking Spot": Nick and Jess are having difficulty keeping their hands to themselves when they're alone. Their encounters are messing with the loft dynamic and Schmidt is determined to get to the bottom of their tension. Fluff/Angst
1. Movie Night

Jess sat huddled in the dark living room slurping ice cream, sipping wine, and watching _Dirty Dancing_ for the millionth time. Schmidt and Wilson were out and Nick had been tunneled in his room doing weird stuff on his computer for hours. Nick rolled his eyes as he emerged from his cave. Jess stared straight ahead and ignored Nick's exasperated sighs. Nick slammed the cupboard closed as his angst filled the room. "God Nick what's your problem?" Jess finally snapped. Instead of answering, Nick threw a turtle-faced look towards the television. "What?" Jess squeaked, daring him to criticize the film with her eyes.

"Nothing Jess" Nick quickly grabbed a beer and headed towards his door. Jess intercepted him in the entryway.

"Would watching something else cure your funk?" Jess rumpled her face into a frown. Nick stopped, taken aback by her kindness. "Your pick" she said, nudging him.

His eyes glimmered and a slight smile played at his cheeks when he thought of a great suggestion. "Anything scary" Nick said with a menacing air. He took a swig of his beer and went to retrieve a DVD. He chose _Paranormal Activity_ knowing how jumpy Jess got watching horror films.

"No, no, no" Jess said shaking her head. "Please Nick! You know how I get!" Jess begged with her eyes and moved closer to his face. Last time the gang had watched a scary movie Nick had found Jess sleeping on the living room couch and she jumped when he walked through the room, letting out a small yelp, only to fall back asleep. In the morning, she didn't remember and he'd been nice enough not to mention it but the memory still occasionally played in his mind.

"Jess, you said you wanted to cheer me up, freaking you out will cheer me up" he teased.

"Haha, very funny" Jess said. "I'm not scared, I just prefer-"

"What? Something you've seen a thousand times" griped Nick. Jess rolled her eyes and plopped down on the couch. She had to prove him wrong. Jess downed a glass of wine for courage and got comfortable as Nick set up the DVD.

Jess and Nick sat down, not touching, not even able to look at each other. "This isn't scary," Jess guffawed after the first fifteen minutes of the film. "It's just a bunch of time lapse video."

Nick threw her a grin across the couch. "Just you wait" With that, something jumped in the film and Jess jumped. Nick's heart skipped a beat, but not because of the movie. Jess scooted next to him, her bare knee brushed against his thigh and her breast brushed against his arm. Nick chuckled nervously "See, told you you're scared"

"I'm not scared Miller, I'm just getting comfortable." Jess shook her body and rested back against his arm. Jess reached across Nick's lap to take a sip of wine and he caught a whiff of her hair, mango apricot shampoo. He knew he'd be kicking himself later for this self-induced frustration. The music got louder in the film and Jess began to wriggle, shifting herself closer and closer to Nick. Nick tried to suppress a grin but burst out laughing as Jess screamed loudly and threw herself into his arms.

"Ready to turn it off yet?" Nick asked, he smiled because he wanted to win but deep down something pulled his body towards hers and he didn't want the connection to break. Jess looked up into his eyes. Their faces hung close together, intimate in the blue tv glow.

Jess squinted her eyes in his face "No chance." Jess picked up her bowl of ice cream and tried to focus on her little slurps instead of the movie and the heat searing her from Nick's body. She enjoyed the strength of his arm as he easily slipped it around her shoulder. She thought she felt him pulling her closer by degrees, but maybe it was her, slipping further into his grasp. The ice cream was cooling her off until a demon attack began on the screen. Jess was so startled that her spoon, dripping with ice cream flew into the air and onto Nick's crotch. This time it was Nick's turn to yelp. Jess hid her face and somehow ended up face down in the ice cream on Nick's thigh. "I'm sorry Nick," Jess said as Nick pushed her away. He grabbed the nearest thing, one of Schmidt's many fancy handkerchiefs, and used it to wipe up the ice cream without moving, Jess smiled as he began to wipe the ice cream off her forehead.

A little ice cream remained by her lips. "Don't apologize," Nick's voice crackled. He wavered by her face, inches from her lips. "I won, you were scared."

Jess scoffed and went to turn away. "Shut up Mill-" Her voice was stopped by his lips, softly planted on hers. She pulled away startled for a moment. "And for the record I wasn't scared," she paused. "of the movie" Jess stared up into Nick's eyes, so honest and warm for the moment. She was drawn to their vulnerable quality and the softness of his kiss. She pressed herself against him and kissed him back harder, more vigorously and he reciprocated, hands clasping her tightly to his chest. They lost all sense of time and kissed as the final demon murder and the credits rolled across the screen. They kissed until the DVD returned to the menu, letting out a repetitive pattern of ominous music and video noises. As Nick began to undress, the keys to the loft entrance jiggled in the lock. Jess and Nick shot apart instantly. When the light turned on and Schmidt and Cece appeared, Nick was struggling to put his shirt on inside out and Jess' hair tossed out in every direction.

Schmidt dragged Cece through the loft. "I'm going to have words for you two in the morning." He gave the couple a knowing grin that could only be described as unsettling. When Schmidt and Cece were gone, Jess and Nick let out a sigh. Jess gathered her bowl of melted ice cream and empty wine glass and put it in the kitchen.

"Well good night" Jess said, hustling towards her bedroom. Nick shrugged and slumped back to his own room. Just another in an ever-expanding list of confusing encounters with Jess that had been building up for months. Nick lay in bed staring straight at the ceiling. What was Jess scared of? He wondered.

A small knock interrupted his thoughts and he slipped to the door. His heart leapt into his throat when he saw Jess, her pajama top lilting off her shoulder, looking scared with wide eyes behind her glasses. "I was just wondering," Jess asked. "Could I sleep in here tonight? Just sleep," she emphasized with a soft innocent look that made Nick wish she wanted much more. Nick gave Jess a sultry, quiet look and nodded. He pulled her into the room and tucked her into his bed. He slipped off his sweatpants. When Jess felt his bare legs she groaned. "Really Miller!" She put on her Judy Garland voice and joked "You better not be getting frisky with me."

Nick laughed, "I'm just trying to get comfortable" he mentally punished himself for taking the risk. However, Jess quickly scooted back towards him in the bed. His heart still hadn't left his throat. He swallowed to steady himself and quietly asked "If you weren't afraid of the movie, what were you afraid of?" His breath on her neck made her gasp. Jess blinked her eyes like she'd been struck in the face. She shook her head and bulged her eyes, emphasizing her point "you." Nick held Jess tighter. He'd felt the same way too, more terrified at the prospect of watching the movie with her than the movie itself. "I'm glad you're here," He whispered. "I'm scared too."


	2. Toothbrush

Jess lingered in the bathroom, slowly brushing her teeth as Nick showered. When she heard the water slow down, she quickly grabbed Nick's toothbrush and tucked it into her bath robe. She continued to brush her teeth looking around innocently. She began to sway in place. "Hey Jess," Nick said, stepping out of the shower. Jess nodded, widening her eyes even further. Her awkwardness gave her away. "What's up?" Nick asked cautiously. Jess spit her toothpaste and slowly washed her mouth out with water. She took a good minute with this process "Jessica!" Nick exclaimed in an accusatory tone.

"What?" Jess asked. She was still rocking back and forth. She tried to avoid his eyes but focusing on his body wrapped in a towel didn't help the situation. Since their movie encounter, things had been awkward. Nick stepped toward her slowly, he looked down into her eyes but saw the tip of his toothbrush sticking out of her robe in his periphery.

"Jess" Nick chortled "why is my tooth brush in your robe?" He went to reach for it but Jess pulled it away.

"No, no, no" Jess repeated as Nick circled her with his arms and struggled to pull the toothbrush from her hands. The two fumbled for a minute, heat building between them as each pulled on the tooth brush with all their might. Both were blushing and panting by the time Nick seized the brush.

"Yes!" Nick shouted triumphantly. He wet down the brush and added toothpaste, but Jess didn't leave. She simply stared intently at the toothbrush. Nick sighed and frowned his signature frown. "Jess, what is this?" He asked.

Jess looked around absentmindedly "Whatever do you mean Nicholas?" Nick shook his head and raised the brush towards his mouth. Jess slapped his hand away.

"Jess!" Nick shouted. "Seriously! What are you doing?! I'm trying to brush my teeth!"

Jess looked away from Nick for a minute, searching for words, "I- just don't know if you've replaced this toothbrush recently so…." She drawled. "I was gonna replace it for you." Jess gave him a cheeky smile.

Nick rolled his eyes, "Jess you don't have to take care of me, and anyway who replaces their toothbrush?" He guffawed.

"Nick! You're supposed to replace your toothbrush every 6 months! 6 out of 10 dentists recommend" She chuckled. She grabbed the toothbrush from his hand. The short flattened bristles frayed out wildly. "This brush is inexcusable! All it does is cut all of your gums open at once!"

Nick sighed "Fine, Jessica, I'll get a new one tomorrow." He plucked the tooth brush from her hand and added more toothpaste. Jess peered at him as the brush approached his mouth. She scrunched up her face in disgust and started to sway again. Nick looked her in the eye scrunching up his face, he slowly brought the tooth brush up to his mouth.

"Schmidt rubbed his bubbles on your toothbrush!" Jess screeched as the brush touched Nick's tongue. He gagged and held back vomit, throwing the brush into the sink.

"Jeezus Jess! Why didn't you just tell me that?!" Nick shouted, moving closer to her face.

"I just know how you guys get," she looked down at her hands. "I just didn't want it to escalate. You guys never consider what your pranks do to everyone else in this apartment."

Nick was shaking his head vigorously, "I've gotta get him back Jess."

"No!" Jess squealed. "This is exactly why I didn't tell you, you turn into an eight-year-old every time! Grow up!"

Nick sighed and looked Jess in the eyes. "Alright Jess, I'll be more mature, I'll be the bigger man for once! I mean, I'm sure I deserved it." He felt a rush at Jess' approving smile. He moved in closer to her and she didn't step away.

He leaned in close to kiss her. He wanted to take another step and get a little reward for taking her advice. Jess smiled and whispered "I'm sorry, not unless you brush your teeth." Nick groaned and went back to his room to change. He wondered what spurred Schmidt's prank but had a feeling it had something to do with Jess and Nick's recent movie night.

The morning after Jess slept in his bed, she managed to slink across the hall without being noticed but Schmidt held to his promise. Once they all were eating breakfast, the third degree began. "So how was your evening last night Nicholas and Jessica?" He drew out their names, ending on a long hiss. Nick and Jess went about their business.

Both of them laughed nervously and recovered quickly to mutter "fine, fine."

Schmidt kept his shit-eating grin wide and wriggled his eyebrows at both of them in turn. They ignored him. Jess hurried out of the kitchen "Alright guys, I'm late for work."

Schmidt took the opportunity to shift closer to Nick. He stared him hard in the eyes, nodding encouragingly, "So tell me what happened. I'm sure something did, I could smell the sweat when we walked in!"

Nick shook his head and avoided Schmidt's eyes. "No Schmidt, your dirty little fantasies are all in your head."

Schmidt crumpled up his forehead in anger. "I know something dirty is going down with you two!" He pouted at Nick and stuck a finger in his face. "You're breaking the oath with her you dirty boy." He sighed and stood up as Nick remained un-phased. "If I don't know about your dirty business expect me to do some dirty business of my own!" Schmidt gave Nick a diabolical look and walked away.

Nick sat there a moment before he shouted "Then you'll be breaking the oath!" He looked behind him quickly, only to see a pile of sweat leaking through his shirt. Schmidt definitely knew he was lying.

Nick now realized what Schmidt had meant by dirty business. He began to sniff all of his belongings, his towel, his clothes, his favorite mug. Schmidt walked in as Nick was investigating. He suppressed a chuckle and said "Good morning Nick, notice any phantom odors as of late?" Nick turned to glare at Schmidt.

"Jess told me what you did" Nick said, glaring.

"Why Nick, don't blame your regretful grooming habits on me!" Schmidt started to laugh loudly.

"Why do you need to know everybody's business Schmidt?!" Nick shouted.

"This is ABOUT the contract!" Schmidt also started to yell.

Nick looked away ashamed. The no-nail oath made him feel sick. He knew when he signed it he would be the one to break it. From the moment he saw Jess, he turned to goo. He pushed his feelings and her so far away that shouting matches were all they had. But after the Cooler incident, even their shouting matches made him want to maul her. "Look man, I'm gonna let it go. I'm not gonna get you back" He paused and looked meaningfully at Schmidt. "Just let it go," He pleaded.

Schmidt nodded seriously, but his face broke into a smile. "You're letting it go for Jess, aren't you?" He teased. Nick looked down and sighed. "Fine, no more pranks," Schmidt promised sincerely. He walked towards the door and clapped Nick on the back. "But if I were you, I would buy a new razor." Nick groaned.


	3. Honesty

"Hey Jess," Nick greeted his perky roommate as she walked into the kitchen. He watched her as she poured her usual cup of coffee and plopped onto her stool. Jess looked up into his eyes and smiled.

"Good morning Nick," She sipped her coffee, growing increasingly uncomfortable as Nick's dark eyes bored into hers. The silence and intense eye contact between them lingered, growing ever more insurmountable until the click of Schmidt's door opened.

"How about those Bears!" Nick exclaimed.

"This coffee is Hot!" Jess exclaimed in unison, spurting out a mouthful in surprise. Cece looked furtively between the two and poured herself a cup.

"Hey guys, how's it going?" Cece asked suspiciously. Nick's eyes instantly dropped to his buttery bacon and eggs as he mumbled a noncommittal response.

Jess jumped from her seat, breaking the tension. "Well, I'm late again, gotta get going. Outside Dave has been particularly difficult lately," She smiled uncomfortably and dropped her coffee mug barely missing the sink.

She jumped and just as quickly Nick rushed to her feet shouting "I got it-I got it!" Cece shot Jess a look as she leaned down next to Nick to pick up the cup.

He splashed the remaining coffee up onto Jess' sweater "Nick!" Jess shouted. Nick reached for some paper towels and hastily began to wipe the coffee from her sweater but both began to blush as his hand lingered on her breast just a moment too long. "You're making it worse!" Jess shouted. "Now I have to change, God Miller!" Jess stormed off.

As Nick still struggled to pick up the pieces of the mug, Cece examined him with a detached coolness. She fixed him with her eyes and he smiled a sheepish grin as he dumped the remains of the mug into the trash can. "I know what you're trying to do," Cece squinted into Nick's face. Nick shook his head. "I want you to know, I approve, but you're going to have to take the next step."

Nick shook his head a few more times and nonchalantly scraped his food into the garbage disposal. As usual, it spewed but Nick used his typical quick fix and the moment of grinding irritation passed. He turned around and leaned casually against the counter "I'm not DOING anything," Nick protested, chuckling. Cece stared stone-faced in his general direction. "But if I WERE doing something-" Nick hesitated as Cece rolled her eyes. "Ok, so what should I do?"

Nick sat down beside Cece who was tall, empowered with wise-best friend knowledge. "Ok, you took the first step and by the look of things the other night," She smiled a dirty smile, "A few more steps." Nick nodded, grinning from ear to ear. "I see the effort you're making, we ALL do" Cece emphasized pointing first towards the aftermath of the broken coffee mug and Schmidt's closed door. "But with Jess, it's not so much about what you _do_ it's more about what you _say_." Cece pursed her lips in a knowing smile.

Nick shrugged, at a loss for words as usual. "So what? I should buy her some chocolate and talk about my feelings," Nick sneered in disgust.

Cece chuckled, "I know that you're a guy but sex isn't everything, especially to girls like Jess." Cece left Nick to ponder these insights, patting him encouragingly on the shoulder.

"By the way," Nick whispered urgently, "Don't tell Schmidt."

Cece smirked, "Please! I'm not going to be the one to open that can of worms!"

Nick knocked on Jess' door. Everyone had dispersed for bed but Cece's words rang in Nick's head. Jess opened her door and smiled. "Hi Nick," she said, her eyes brightening. He lingered in the doorway and lightly touched her arm. Jess leaned closer "Can I help you?" Nick pulled roses from behind his back, cheap two dollar roses bought from a woman on the side of the road. He couldn't seem to find anything beyond gestures to tell Jess how he felt. Jess eyed him suspiciously and hesitantly took the roses. "What's this for?" Jess asked.

Nick smiled uncertainly, "For being you Jessica."

Jess smiled, "Well thank you! Good Night-"

"Wait," Nick blurted. Jess turned back, eyes wide with surprise. She folded her arms and pinned him with a stare. "Jessica, I've thought about telling you how I feel for a long time. I've tried." Jess' face turned serious and she blushed. Nick started to back away, but Jess clutched onto his hand.

"Wait Nick," She pulled him back to her, "I really would love to know how you feel."

"I-I-I" Nick stammered, his eyes started to blinks nervously. "Look, I've done this before." Nick looked away and rubbed his brow.

Jess raised her eyebrows "When?"

Nick took Jess' hands in his and looked her straight in the eye. He lingered close enough to kiss her, their breath mingling in anticipation. "That night on the beach Jessica, do you remember what I said?"

Jess furrowed her brow, "I thought you didn't remember that."

Nick's face fell, he frowned. "Yeah, well, I lied. I told you, I really like you."

Jess' face contorted in a confused look of rage and embarrassment, "That was forever ago!" She shouted. "Thank you for FINALLY being honest!" She screamed, throwing the roses into his face and slamming her door.

Nick wandered out to the kitchen and popped open a beer. He sat running his hands through his hair, groaning. Cece snuck up on Nick and sat down beside him. He looked up at her and shook his head. "I heard the yelling," Cece said. She patted Nick on the shoulder. "Give her some time, at least you were honest."

Nick began to laugh, "That's the thing, I wasn't honest."

"What do you mean?" Cece asked.

"If I was honest, I would tell her that I loved her the moment I met her. I would tell her how easy it is to care about her and how I've never felt that way about anyone else." Nick sighed, "but I don't want to scare her away."

Nick and Cece both heard the click, and Nick caught a glimpse of Jess' dark curls bouncing back behind the door frame. Cece smirked, "Congratulations, you were finally honest."


End file.
